Disclaimer: SVU and all of its characters were created by and are the property of Dick Wolf. I make no profit with this story, which is my own original work.

Olivia awoke with a soft groan. Her head was pounding, and her shoulder was stiff. Even though she hadn't been wearing it for very long, she was so glad that she would have the opportunity to ditch the sling today, even if it were only for a few hours at a time. It wasn't easy for her to be restricted in any way, and being limited in her movements also made her more dependent on Elliot to a degree, something she felt guilty about.

Elliot. Olivia was still having trouble wrapping her head around all that he'd done for her already. Taking care of her was one thing – had their positions been reversed, she'd have gladly done the same for him. But the way he had pulled out all the stops so that her apartment would be decorated for Christmas? No one had ever done that for her before in as long as she could remember. In fact, the tree he had bought was the first one this place had ever seen.

Yesterday, after she'd awoken from her nap – one that had unexpectedly become longer than she'd intended – Olivia had confided in her partner. It wasn't that she hated the holiday, it was just that she barely had any positive memories to connect with it, so she had simply given up trying. There had been no Santa Claus in her youth, no family dinners, no magic. The few presents that her mother would buy for her had always been packaged in boxes that had once housed bottles of alcohol. Most of the time, they hadn't even been wrapped.

It had taken a great emotional toll to reveal all of that, but it had felt good to get the weight off her shoulders. The entire time she had been speaking, Elliot had kept one arm wrapped around her, and had listened intently. The room had been quiet, and the tree had been sparkling in the corner. Olivia hadn't been able to tear her eyes away from the pine, artificial or not. To her, it symbolized something she'd never had before at Christmas – hope. And it had been Elliot who had given it to her. She wasn't exactly sure how she would ever thank him for that.

Struggling to get to her feet, Olivia winced as she slipped the sling overhead and off her body. After she had changed into her robe as gingerly as possible, she cinched the belt at her waist, and opened the door to head out toward the bathroom. To her surprise, she met Elliot in the hall. Upon seeing her not wearing her sling, his concern went into overdrive.

"Olivia! Why aren't you wearing your sling? Are you okay? Do you need me to call the doctor, or -"

Olivia placed her fingers over his mouth, effectively silencing him.

"I'm fine, El. The doctor told me that starting today, I only had to wear the sling at night, unless I was experiencing pain, remember? Besides, even if that wasn't the case, I'm going to take a shower, and I can't exactly do that with one arm immobilized."

Feeling like an idiot for overreacting, Elliot tried to make amends.

"Can I at least make you breakfast this morning? I can have it ready by the time you're done."

Though she was touched by the gesture, Olivia was torn. She didn't want him going to too much trouble on her behalf, and it wasn't exactly like she was a big breakfast eater anyway.

"I don't know..."

"Please?"

He looked so sincere and expectant, it was impossible for her to deny him his request. She did however, have a few guidelines.

"Okay – but just something simple, and keep in mind that I don't eat much in the mornings. I have a feeling this isn't going to be the only time you're going to want to feed me today, so try not to make my stomach explode with the first meal."

"Deal."

Now that the matter was settled, Olivia resumed her journey toward the bathroom, and Elliot headed to the kitchen, trying to figure out how to rationalize a 'simple' breakfast in his mind. That clearly meant that his pancakes from scratch were out of the question, but maybe scrambled eggs and toast would be acceptable. Considering the fact that tomorrow was Christmas day, he could always make something more extravagant then – holidays were always an excuse to make something special. With a smile on his face, Elliot got to work, not even realizing just how at home he felt in Olivia's kitchen.

When Olivia emerged from the shower, she returned to her bedroom to find something to wear for the day. Since she knew she wouldn't be going anywhere, she opted for a casual look of leggings and an oversized lightweight sweater. Deciding to remain barefoot for the time being, she padded toward the kitchen, following her nose toward the smell of coffee and bacon. Upon hearing her approaching footsteps, Elliot turned from his place by the toaster to greet her with a smile.

"There you are Liv. Have a seat, breakfast is almost ready."

Glancing at the table, Olivia noted that it had already been set with everything they would need. Apparently her friend and partner hadn't exactly taken her words to heart about not going overboard when it came to the morning meal.

In addition to the two covered pans that she figured must contain the bacon and eggs, Olivia also spied a bowl filled with fresh cut cantaloupe, honeydew melon, and grapes. Sitting next to each plate was not only a mug for coffee, but a juice glass as well. Plus, he was also making toast to go with everything? How did he expect her to eat all of that? As though he had read her mind, Elliot came to stand behind her, his voice soothing in her ear.

"Relax, there is no pressure. I wasn't sure exactly what you'd want, so I made a few of your favorites. I just wanted you to have some variety to choose from."

Feeling more at ease, Olivia took her seat, and waited for Elliot to join her. When they were both at the table, she even allowed him to scoop some eggs onto her plate, but helped herself to the fruit and toast. She did however, decide against the bacon. Not that she had anything against it, it smelled wonderful, but she didn't want to eat too much.

As they ate together, they talked mostly about work – or the fact that they would be free from it until after the New Year. It was the first real 'downtime' either of them had had in ages, and while it had come at the unfortunate circumstance of Olivia's injury, both would appreciate some time off.

Still, Olivia couldn't help but feel like she would go stir crazy stuck in her apartment. While she appreciated relaxation as much as the next person, there was a time and a place for it – and forced time off wasn't that time. She supposed having Elliot for company would be nice, she only hoped they wouldn't drive each other insane in the process.

Once again, it appeared that her companion for the week had read her mind. As he was clearing the dishes away, Elliot mentioned that he had brought over several DVDs from his apartment that they could watch to help pass the time. In the spirit of the season, they were all holiday themed. He told her to make herself comfortable in the living room, and he'd be in shortly, and they could pick something to watch.

True to his word, Elliot had joined her a little over ten minutes later, after first disappearing into the guest room. When he'd returned, both hands were full of DVDs. After scanning the titles, Olivia selected the one that appealed to her most. Most of the movies were familiar, even if she'd never seen them – popular culture had made them recognizable. The others were ones she had always wanted to see, but had never had the chance. After inserting the disc into the player, Elliot grabbed the remote, then took a seat next to Olivia on the couch, closer than she was expecting. Determined not to focus on his proximity, she directed her attention to the screen as the movie began to play.

They had just finished the first movie, and it was now late morning. As Elliot turned slightly on the couch to take in Olivia's reaction, he noticed she had a wistful expression on her face. Reaching out, he put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently.

"Liv, what is it?"

"I'm beginning to understand why I never watched these movies."

Elliot furrowed his brow in a mixture of confusion and concern, then quietly prompted her to continue. Part of him was worried he'd pushed her too far and made her uncomfortable, which was the last thing he wanted.

"The people in these films had lives that I could only ever dream of. Baking cookies, a big family gathered around a table heaped with food, even something as silly as a snowball fight. I used to want it all."

Despite the serious turn the conversation had taken, Elliot couldn't stop the grin that had spread across his face. He felt the moment the woman next to him reacted to his response, giving him a shove. This time there was no masking the hurt in her voice.

"I already know I'm pathetic, El. There's no reason to laugh at me for it."

Reaching for her hand, it took it in his own, instantly apologetic. She'd completely misunderstood.

"No, Liv, no. That's not it at all. It's just that I kind of planned a surprise for us for today, but I was afraid you would think it was silly. You've just pretty much told me there's no chance of that happening."

Still skeptical, Olivia arched one eyebrow and eyed her partner suspiciously.

"What? Did I suddenly miss a blizzard? Are you planning on taking me outside and pummeling me with snowballs? Way to kick a woman when she's down, Stabler."

Knowing that she hadn't been serious, Elliot laughed heartily at Olivia's comment, then brought her hand to his lips to place a soft kiss on her knuckles.

"No, smartass. I ordered a few things from the store so we could do some baking today. Granted, I decided to take some shortcuts, opting for a few boxed mixes that are easier to prepare, but it still counts."

For a few seconds, Olivia didn't say a word, she just stared at Elliot with a look of wonder. It was similar to the expression her face had taken when she'd first seen the tree and lights the night before. She felt as though she were in the middle of a dream, and her alarm was going to go off at any minute, bringing her back to reality. But this was her reality. At thirty eight years of age, she was about to have the kind of Christmas she had always wanted and imagined for herself, and Elliot was the one who was making it happen. She couldn't think of anyone better to spend it with. Without removing her hand from his, Olivia instead squeezed gently, affirming her decision. With a smile and a nod, she agreed.

"All right, Elliot, you win. Teach me how to bake."

Several minutes later, Elliot and Olivia were both in her kitchen. Christmas music was playing softly in the background, thanks to some CD's he had started to play. Though Elliot hadn't meant for the atmosphere to be too much, Olivia felt overwhelmed. A plethora of ingredients were on her table, and considering this was supposed to be a 'simple' process, she found herself quite in awe of everything that was needed. There were three bags of cookie dough mix – one each in sugar, chocolate chip, and peanut butter. There was even a box mix for pumpkin muffins, and last but not least a fudge brownie mix. In addition to the ingredients necessary to make each cookie dough, Olivia saw colored sugars for decorating, chocolate kisses to make peanut butter blossoms, and even several baking sheets. Knowing that she hadn't had any in her own cabinets, she figured that Elliot had either brought his own over, or had bought some especially for this occasion.

"First things first, Liv – don't panic. It's simply not Christmas if you only have one variety of cookie."

"Yes, but El – what am I going to do with all of those sweets? I can't eat them all, I'd never get back in shape to go back to work!"

Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, Elliot squeezed gently, mindful of any pain she may still be in.

"That's why the best part of holiday baking is that you give away some of what you bake. When we're done, we're going to take a little trip to the precinct and drop off a care package to everyone who is stuck working tonight and tomorrow. I'm sure they'll appreciate it."

Olivia shook her head, indicating that she wasn't exactly sure.

"Elliot, I'm the one who's doing some of the baking here, remember? How can you be certain I won't end up poisoning them?"

Laughing heartily now, Elliot pressed a kiss to Olivia's temple without thinking. Her self doubt and hesitation were equally heartbreaking and endearing, and if she only realized just how much he believed in her, he knew she'd have faith in herself as well. Olivia saw the determination in his eyes, and it was contagious.

"Okay, where do we start?"

Elliot looked at the packages of cookie dough, reading the directions for each. Then he studied the instructions for the brownies and the muffins. Making a decision, he held up the box of brownie mix first.

"Let's start with this. These have to bake the longest, then we can make the muffins. The cookies will take the least amount of time, and are the easiest to prepare."

Deciding she didn't want her sweater to get messy, Olivia excused herself temporarily so she could change while her partner preheated the oven and tracked down whatever other ingredients they would need. When she returned wearing an older NYPD tee shirt that Elliot recognized as once belonging to him, he bit back another smile. He'd wondered where that had gone. A part of him had always assumed that Kathy had thrown it out. Happy to see that his old shirt had found a new home, he focused his attention on the present task – baking with Olivia.

Forty minutes later, the apartment was filled with the tantalizing aroma of chocolate as the brownies finished baking in the oven. Once the timer went off, and it was determined that they were done, Elliot used potholders to carefully transfer the pan to a wire rack on the counter. Then he adjusted the temperature of the oven to ready it for the muffins – the next batter that they had been preparing while they had been waiting for the brownies to bake.

Before long, two items were done, and only three were left to complete. Instead of starting in preparing the cookie dough while the muffins were in the oven, Elliot had suggested they take a brief break and sit on the couch for a little bit. Though she hadn't made any mention of it, he could see that Olivia looked a little weary, and he didn't want to push her too much. If he would have suggested she sit in the kitchen while he remained standing, she'd never have gone for it. Resting together in the living room was the only way for his plan to work. To his surprise, she'd even accepted the cup of tea he'd offered.

Though Olivia offered to help, Elliot had insisted on taking care of the cleanup himself, reminding her that the baking had been his idea in the first place. When he was done, he called her back out to the kitchen, saying it was time to start on the cookies. Since they would be the most time consuming, he suggested they make the sugar cookie dough first, then the other two would be a breeze. Truly in the spirit of things now, Olivia lamented that she didn't have any cookie cutters to cut the dough into holiday shapes, when Elliot indicated a bag on the counter behind her that she had somehow missed before. He really had thought of everything. The five metal shapes were basic – a bell, a star, a tree, a candy cane, and a snowflake – but it would be perfect for what they needed.

For the first time in her life, Olivia rolled out dough and painstakingly cut out sugar cookies, laying them out on a baking sheet. Then, with just as much devotion to detail, she sprinkled colored sugars on the top of each one to decorate them. Not wanting to interfere, Elliot let her work, watching mesmerized at the way she gnawed on her lower lip to help keep her concentration and focus. His own thoughts wandered as he wondered what it would be like to use his thumbs to draw that lip from between her teeth and capture it with his own mouth. For once not even bothering to admonish himself for his wayward thinking, he continued to observe, not even aware that he was staring.

Without warning, the timer on the oven went off, startling Elliot out of his reverie. Olivia, on the other hand, wasn't affected in the slightest. She carried on with her painstaking task, using the utmost care to not spill any of the sugar on the baking sheet itself. While some might call her a perfectionist for this, she had other motives – the last thing she needed today was for her sensitive smoke detector to go off and ruin the fun she had been having.

Now that he had removed the muffins and set them aside to cool, Elliot walked back over to the table to join Olivia. It seemed she was finally done with her decorating, as she was rising to her feet. Certain that he wouldn't disturb her – or worse yet, startle her – he stood behind her, resting a palm on her shoulder.

"They look beautiful, Liv."

She looked at him and beamed, and for the briefest of moments, Elliot could imagine how she might have looked as a young girl if only her mother would have given her this kind of opportunity. Then, without warning, her brow furrowed, and her face fell. Concerned, he turned her gently until she was facing him fully and clasped both of her hands in his.

"Liv, what is it?"

"I decorated all the cookies myself, El. I didn't even ask if you wanted to help."

She sounded so upset, that Elliot wanted to dispel her concerns immediately. Just as before, he leaned forward, except instead of pressing a kiss to the crown of her head or her temple, this time it was her forehead. He wasn't sure exactly at what point between the moment she had gotten hurt and now that he'd become so comfortable physically demonstrating his affection, but he was grateful that Olivia didn't seem to object.

"Don't worry about it for a second. I had more fun watching you decorate them than I could have ever had if I'd taken a turn myself."

The tone of his voice left no room for argument, so Olivia merely nodded. She had noticed that Elliot had been acting different around her since his divorce had become final, but things had really changed since the other day. Now whenever he was near, her heart would beat faster in anticipation of just what was going to happen. She found herself wondering if he would touch her again in some small way, like when she'd woken in the hospital to find him holding her hand – something they still hadn't fully discussed. Now, this gesture with him pressing his lips to her forehead made the third such time that he'd 'kissed' her – and that was only since this morning. She was filled with a sense of warmth that had nothing to do with the elevated temperature in the apartment caused by the overworked oven. Could this be what being loved felt like?

A bit overwhelmed by the emotions coursing through her, Olivia took a step back. Elliot released his hold on her hands without argument, allowing her her space. Not wanting her to feel pressured in the slightest, he cleared his throat and changed the subject.

"Why don't you grab us some water while I put these trays in the oven, then we can get started on the peanut butter cookies?"

"Okay."

Olivia left the kitchen for a few moments, knowing there was no need to excuse herself. Alone in the bathroom, she took the opportunity to splash some cool water on her face and regain her composure. Once she was feeling more in control, she returned to join Elliot once more, stopping on her way to grab them each a bottle of water. It still shocked her to a degree to see how full her refrigerator was.

By now, Elliot had tidied up the mess left behind from the sugar cookies, and gotten everything ready to make the peanut butter dough. His concern for Olivia a top priority once again, he gave her a new task this time – while he mixed the dough together, she could unwrap the chocolates that would go on top of each cookie once they came out of the oven. This was a quick baking process, so they would need to be ready. However, this job also gave Olivia the opportunity to sit while she worked, which was Elliot's ultimate goal.

"Oh, Liv?"

Having just opened the cellophane bag containing the foil wrapped chocolates, Olivia looked up with curiosity. This was quite possibly the one job in the kitchen that she could not mess up. What did Elliot want now?

"Remember your job is to unwrap the chocolate, not to eat it."

Choosing not to deign that remark with a verbal response, Olivia instead shot Elliot a withering look, complete with an obscene gesture that there was no way for him to misinterpret. Feigning shock, he brought his hand up to his chest to cover his heart, then they both dissolved into laughter. Truth be told, he hadn't been far off in his guess. Olivia's affinity for chocolate was well known throughout the squad room. Elliot even purposely kept a few bars in his desk in case of emergency. He'd learned his lesson the hard way the first year of their partnership.

Ten minutes later, just as the timer went off signaling that the sugar cookies had finished baking, the peanut butter dough was ready to go into the oven. With Olivia's help, Elliot had rolled the dough into balls and coated them in sugar. Then they had spaced them out evenly on one of the baking sheets. Now the newly formed cookies just needed to bake for ten minutes. When they came out of the oven and were still warm, a chocolate kiss would be pressed into the center of each.

Last but not least, they started on the final dough of the day – and a quintessential classic – chocolate chip. It was also the simplest to prepare, making it the easiest and least time consuming. Before either Elliot or Olivia realized, their baking adventure had come to an end. The last of the cookies were removed from the oven to cool, and the appliance was turned off to be given a rest from all of its hard work. Olivia didn't know it just yet, but it would be in use again tomorrow when Elliot prepared their holiday meal.

Checking the clock, they noticed that it was just after two in the afternoon, marking a solid four hours that they had spent baking. Elliot was worried about Olivia having not eaten since breakfast, and truth be told, he was feeling a bit hungry himself. Since the last of the cookies still had to cool, he suggested that they just eat sandwiches before they headed to the precinct to deliver their surprise goodies to their friends.

Although it was something they had argued about briefly, Olivia had ultimately agreed to wear her sling again for a bit while they went out. Elliot's justification had been that the streets and sidewalks would likely be packed considering it was Christmas Eve, and he didn't want anyone to bump into her the wrong way and inadvertently hurt her healing shoulder. Yes, it had been correctly realigned by the hospital, but the joint was still tender.

After packaging up half of the baked goods they had made that afternoon into a decorative tin – yet another one of Elliot's surprise purchases, they headed out of the apartment together. If all was going well, it would be a quiet time for the squad as they transitioned from late afternoon into early evening.

As they drove through the city streets, Olivia found herself admiring all of the lights and decorations she spotted on storefronts, apartment buildings – even lampposts. Thanks to Elliot, she had newfound appreciation for the season as a whole, and before she even realized what she was doing, she had switched the radio station in Elliot's Jeep to one that played Christmas music.

They'd made it to the station in a decent amount of time, and as Elliot pulled into a space in the parking lot, he recognized the sedan that belonged to Munch and Fin sitting in the space beside his. That was a positive sign. It meant that their friends would at least be in the building. The more difficult question to answer – whether or not they would swamped with work – remained to be seen.

After getting out of the Jeep, Elliot hurried around to the passenger side so he could assist Olivia. He knew that on any other occasion, she would object to his offer of help, but not only was she carrying the tin of baked goods, she had the sling to contend with. Not wanting to overstep, he simply took the tin from her to hold in one hand, and offered her his other one, allowing her to use it as a means of balance to maneuver herself out of the vehicle.

It took them longer to get up to the squad room than anticipated – officers throughout the building kept stopping to inquire after Olivia and show their concern. By the time they made it into the elevators and had started their ascent, Elliot could tell that Olivia was already looking a little weary. He kept his observations to himself though, knowing she would only deny the facts if he were to attempt to point them out. Instead, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders as he led her into the squad room. The gesture appeared casual enough, but it was a perfect way to offer additional support. The element of surprise they had been hoping for, however, was in the palm of their hands when they found Fin, John, and the Captain gathered around one of the desks. It seemed the group of men were arguing about what to order for dinner. With a smile on her face, Olivia called out to her friends.

"Well, I can't help you in regards to dinner, but I do have your dessert covered."

Upon hearing the voice of their colleague, one who was supposed to be at home resting and recovering no less, all three men turned instantly. Upon seeing Olivia standing no more than a few feet away, with Elliot's arm wrapped protectively around her, all their discussion about food evaporated.

"Liv!"

Fin was the first to reach her, and Elliot reluctantly moved aside so that the other man would have a chance to embrace Olivia. John and Cragen soon took their turns as well. It was the first that they'd seen her since she'd been pulled from the water in Central Park. Since that time, they'd been occupied with trying to get justice for their friend – as well as the two victims who'd been found in the park. The families of Kayla Thomas and Samantha Nichols were devastated, but at least they would never have to face the pain of a trial. After an extensive interrogation, Philip Humphries had confessed to his crimes, and had also been linked to many more, going back several months. In addition to his assault on Olivia, his guilty plea meant that he would be going to prison for the rest of his life.

As she absorbed the news her friends were telling her, Olivia was so overcome that she swayed slightly. The next thing she realized, Elliot was guiding her into her usual chair by her desk while John was bringing her a cup of water to drink. The faces of all four men were filled with concern.

"I'm fine, I promise. I suppose I just wasn't expecting the case to be resolved that quickly. I thought for certain that the trial would drag out for months."

Nodding, Fin gave her a smile.

"So did we. I guess we should be grateful for small favors. Speaking of which, are you telling me that you actually baked for us? I didn't know that you even knew how to turn your oven on."

With that shift in conversation, so began the good-natured teasing of Olivia. Each of the men took a turn in saying something about her culinary skills, but when they were done, Cragen was the first to pop open the tin and grab a cookie to sample. After just one bite, he proclaimed it delicious and said that Olivia was welcome to bake for the squad at any time. Fin and John soon followed suit, and more compliments followed.

Blushing at receiving such praise, Olivia was determined not to hog the spotlight.

"I can't take all the credit. I couldn't have done it without Elliot. He surprised me with the idea to bake, and I had the best afternoon ever."

Three heads turned to look at Elliot, each one bearing an expression with raised eyebrows. He took it all in stride, refusing to get defensive. Instead, he simply wrapped his arm around Olivia's shoulders once more.

"I believe your exact words to me the other day were to 'take care of her'. That's exactly what I've been doing. Part of that is making sure she has the best Christmas ever."

Not to be outdone, Olivia piped up again, though her voice held no anger – only amusement.

"She is right here. You don't have to talk about me like I'm not in the room."

Everyone laughed at that. Elliot and Olivia visited for a few minutes longer, then a call came in that Fin and Munch had to handle. It wasn't a new case, but a woman from a current one who believed that she had seen her abusive ex husband outside her apartment building, and they were going to follow up on it. The men thanked Olivia and Elliot for the baked goods once again, then said their farewells and wished one another a Happy Holiday. John would be working tomorrow as well, to give those who observed Christmas a few hours off. Being Jewish, he'd taken a few days off earlier in the month to celebrate Hanukkah. Olivia took a moment to hug each of the men as best as she could with one arm, then left with Elliot by her side.